Ever wonder how to succeed?
Think about it for a second. Have you ever wondered what is the formula for success? Maybe you want to go into the secret tombs of success and take the formula for yourself. But in all seriousness, what does it take? I thought about it this past weekend as I ventured to California to take my students to compete at Stanford University. For those that don't know, I am a competitive acting coach at a school in the Bronx. Basically, I teach kids how to perform, speak and think critically and send them off to compete against the country's best. When you combine that with the kids that I work with and where they come from, it can definitely be quite an experience.
We touched down and arrived at the hotel in San Jose and went straight to work. Everyone was working nonstop on their performances. It got to the point where lunch was ready and it took about an hour for any of the kids to realize food was available. We discussed their work during lunch and the responses that some of the students had challenged me to think myself. Comments ranging from "I need to enter a dramatic state of being" to "I gotta be more rachet with this" started spewing and after the food was done, we went back to it. Jetlagged, but dedicated. These kids worked all the way to midnight (3am Eastern) and went off to sleep, ready to face Stanford's best the next morning.
We woke up at 6AM and went straight to the downtown Marriott. More than 1000 students compete at this competition and only the Top 6 in each category (Dramatic, Humorous, Duo Acting, Oratory Speaking) would be given the opportunity to perform on campus at Stanford University for the gold. Hungry for the gold, those kids scattered to their preliminary rounds and went at it. Each performance they gave, they gave their all. They came out of the competition rooms out of breathe but satisfied that they laid everything on the table. After 3 rounds, the first cut was made. The Top 24 in each category was announced.
The look on the faces of these kids as they found they had made Top 24 in the country put a smile across my face. The rest of the coaches and I chuckled, gave them a pep talk and sent them off to their Quarterfinal rounds. We figured, 18 out of 20 kids are still in the competition. That's crazy. How far can we go with this?
Apparently far enough to start gaining notice. Top 12 was announced at 10PM, with students gulping down Pepsi's trying to stay awake. They walked to the postings and they were still in. I counted it up. 18 out 20 kids still in. Now I know it's about to get serious. With schools such as Stuyvesant, Leland, Beverly Hills and Hollywood-esque high schools left in the game, it was going to be a bloodbath to reach the Final 6. One of my kids, Stephen, cracked his knuckles and said bring it on.
Top 6 was announced at midnight. With 16 hours of competition put in, these kids were drained. The tournament staff posted the finalist in the ballroom. For a second, I couldn't believe what I saw. They made it. In everything. All 4 categories. We were going to be at Stanford University in the morning against the best in the nation...what?
Those kids went in the next morning and gave performances of a lifetime. Stephen & Tavan doing Jackie & Me, a piece about a kid that goes back in time to learn about Jackie Robinson. Milagros & Dieynaba doing For The Good Times Are Killing Me, when a white and black girl from the 1970s defy society and learn the true power of friendship. Stephen's Christopher Durang in Humorous. Manuela's Eleemosynary. Emmanuel's speech on the power of being human and speaking up. They all just went in and left what they had to bring to the stage. Awards and placement was announced the next hour.
I stood in shock and with pride as they announced it all. 1st Place Duo Acting. Bronx Prep. 1st Place Humorous Acting. Bronx Prep. 1st Place Dramatic Acting. Bronx Prep. 1st Place...1st Place...1st Place...We won...everything. These kids carried away 20 trophies and I just stood there with my team just awestruck of what just occurred.
A coach from one of the most renowned competitive drama schools in California came to us and asked "What's your secret? What is your secret formula?" Huh. Secret. That's a funny word. I looked back on what we did the last couple of days leading up to the tournament and realized, nothing was a secret. It wasn't a vial. No superpowers. No mutations or steroids. All that these kids did was work. Hard. They were passionate about what they do and knew that it would change lives. They went in wanting to win, but focused on being the best they could be. They succeeded because they trusted us and didn't hold back. Not really sure if that's a secret, but it seemed obvious to me.
Kinda long blog post I know, but I just think about it even now that I returned back to New York. We made history. And all it took was faith and work. I guess that's the formula to success. Who knows?
Recent Comments
11
Very impressive and you certainly are an inspiration, Thank you for sharing your journey of dedication and hard work!
Great job! Congrats to All in your team:) You said it. If there's a secret formula for success, It'd be Faith and Work.
That is awesome!!! Congrats! What a cool and inspiring story! Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed reading it. I always love hearing about what you're up to. And I love that last picture with the peace sign, super cool. You are a truly remarkable person and teacher!
Thanks for your kind words. It's all because of my head coaches Lou & Rosie doing the amazing things they do everyday and have been doing for the last 50 years. I'm just glad to be part of something bigger than me.
That's definitely a TREMENDOUS story to share here at WA. Wow! you guys won every category. That is something that is definitely unheard of. And it was at Stanford too, one of the most prestigious Universities in the World, which by the way isn't an Ivy League! Man that is something that is definitely amazing. Glad you shared this story, I kind of kept putting it off for other people's post, but I definitely should have read a post as amazing as this one a lot sooner. :) My son actually chose Stanford, he got a full ride there, and to UPenn and MIT, and he also got into Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, but not on a full ride. Just thought I would brag a little since you kind of did, just kidding, just wanted to share that because my son love's Stanford as well. You guys did an awesome job, I assume. Thanks again for this story, it was well worth the time and the pleasure to read about :)
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I truly appreciate it and I'm glad it had an impact on you. I hope your son is loving Stanford. I sure did with all those palm trees and sunshine 24/7.
See more comments
Congrats , I really enjoyed your post. Very inspiring.. Keep up the great work.. :)
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it!